


First Impressions

by themerrymutants



Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 19:02:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6389377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themerrymutants/pseuds/themerrymutants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Didgeitelle, standing for their second clutch, makes a decision that changes their life for the better. Though the rest of Benden Weyr might prefer to disagree.</p><p>Formatting note: Bold and italicized text stand for dragon's speaking aloud, simply italicized text for dragons speaking privately with their bonded, bolded and underlined text for whers speaking aloud, and underlined for whers speaking privately with their bonded.</p><p>Canon divergence note: In this particular divergence whers can speak just not well and are intelligent though their lack of 'proper' speaking technique makes it seem like it's not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Impressions

Didgeitelle was trying to calm themself down. Their nervousness over the upcoming hatching was starting to get to them and everything was too loud and too close and they were rolling their hands and...  
  
_**Candidates awake! It is time!**_  
  
They whined softly, they didn't want to do this now! There was too much noise! Far too much noise! They wanted quiet, they wanted their mother. Where was their mother? Where was Marcisk? Marcisk was good for cuddles when things got too much. They needed to go now though. Go now and go quick.  
  
They forced themself to get into their robe and put on their knots. Their hand rolling got worse as they got out onto the sands. Fiddle sticks! Why? Why? Loud, so much loud, too much loud. Why was it so loud?  
  
**Can do it Didge pup** _,_ Marcisk assured her mind voice gravelly but comforting. She was there. Which meant their mama was there. **It be ok. Promise.**  
  
They relaxed some going from rocking and rolling their hands to just rolling their hands. First egg to hatch contained a garnet big wings teeny body, it headed for a recently aged out former candidate. They waved hoping she'd understand that it was in congratulations. The next a blue, regular proportions, that headed for one of their friends. He nosed his pant leg his tail swaying back and forth contentedly. 7 eggs to go. They hatched in rather rapid succession. Garnet, garnet, blue, green, green, bronze, the last egg struggled, it was the tiny one that had given them the biggest reaction: happiness as if it was greeting an old friend it hadn't seen in a while. Everyone else had been sure it was a dud. They knew better though. It needed to hatch! If only so that it could live its life and be happy with whomever it chose.  
  
Why was it struggling? Was it not strong enough? What was wrong? Why wasn't anyone helping! They stayed rooted in place rocking harder than before. Why wasn't anyone helping?! Couldn't they see that it needed help! Why. Weren't. They. HELPING!  
  
The mother let out a mournful cry as the egg stopped moving entirely. No...no...no! Against every instinct within them they _ran_ to the egg taking off their shoe as they did. Who cared if their foot burned thanks to the hot sands as they ran? Angry clutch mother and angry audience and worried their mother or no they were gonna hatch that egg. Even if they were the last thing that dragonet saw at least it would get the chance to see something! They slid to a halt in front of it dropping to their knees. With a well aimed strike the shell finally cracked a speckled brown limply sliding out. They gathered him up in their arms gently stroking him trying to revive him. He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. That egg was supposed to be theirs. Why else would it have greeted them so warmly? They continued their efforts to revive him swatting others away when they tried to pull them apart from the dragonet.  
  
"I saved you.... Please wake up, even just a little bit?" they murmured pulling him close. At last, and without fanfare he _finally_  opened his eyes which whirled with the rainbow colors of Impression, at last licking their face. Suddenly the world was even louder for them, everything felt too rough and too close but they refused to let go. This dragon was theirs and Benden couldn't do anything about it.  
  
_Sorry I spooked you there. It was kind of a tight fit, made it hard to get out of there,_ he said squirming out of their grip to shake himself dry. He spread his wings revealing a pair that seemed all too tiny for his comparatively large body. As angry as the audience was the clutch mother bugled triumphantly. Her last dragonet was safe, alive, and bonded, Benden societal norms or no all her eggs had hatched and all had Impressed. _Mind if I call you Didge? Seems like less of a mouthful. I'm your Thoth by the way. Also can we get some food? I'm starving._  
  
They nodded picking him up and heading over to the buckets provided. They could feel eyes on them and Faranth was it making things _soooo_ much worse.  
  
_Hey there, it's ok,_ he soothed noticing Didge's mind was rapidly approaching overload. _I'm here now. How about, once I'm fed, we go back to your room? Just relax some and recharge. Sound good?_  
  
They smiled gratefully, nodding as they did. He was _perfect_ ; everything they could ever ask for and more.

 **Knew Didge pup do well!** Marcisk called proudly. Marcie just cheered, her child, the one she had to fight to get the weyr to let stand, had stood up to them and their ways to save their bonded. Also they Impressed period. Take that jackasses. The greenhandler looked over at the candidate master with the smuggest of grins. Didgeitelle, or maybe something new, had Impressed and they could do jack shit about it.


End file.
